A Stroud drug addict who 'flaunted' her relationship in front of her partner's ex before launching a vicious attack has been sentenced to a supervision order.

Charmaine Coulson, 32, who now lives in Capel Court, was in the dock in her home city of Hull alongside Lee McManus, 44.

Hull Crown Court heard their victim was drinking alcohol on a bench when McManus and his new girlfriend Coulson approached her one Saturday afternoon, reports Hull Live.

Laura Marshall, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court the couple “began to kiss each other in front of her. She interpreted that as an attempt to wind her up and make her jealous about the relationship”.

The woman responded by saying: “Why are you even here? Why don’t you go away?” But Coulson replied: “I’m from Hull. I can go wherever I want. You should go.”

The victim “didn’t want trouble” and left to buy more alcohol, returning five minutes later “hoping they had left”.

Charmaine Coulson (Image: Hull Live)

She walked across the road then came back and McManus “told her not to mouth off about him”. The woman stood up, asked McManus to leave and said: “Just go and live your lives.” But Coulson, who was behind McManus, began shouting and referring to McManus as “her bloke”.

Without any provocation, Coulson then began to attack the woman, who retaliated to defend herself. McManus tried to separate the women and protect Coulson, grabbing his former partner by her hair. Clumps of the victim’s hair were later found at the scene and placed in evidence bags.

But worse was to follow for the victim, as Coulson produced a pair of nail scissors and began stabbing her.

Miss Marshall said: “She describes being punched multiple times in the head and face and felt her nose crack. Coulson began to assault her again with a sharp object. She felt like she was being stabbed with something sharp. It appeared to be a pair of nail scissors.”

The victim briefly bled from her wounds and was attended by paramedics. The woman had been in an “on-off” relationship with McManus for ten years until 2017, and described him as “the love of her life”.

She was left with a 20cm scar on her left hip, and scars on her left cheek and near her ear. She said: “They are a horrible reminder of what happened.”

Lee McManus (Image: Hull Live)

She later said in a victim statement: “The whole situation is causing me a lot of grief and harassment. I just want to get on with my life and do not want the aggravation of all this. I feel frightened and worried about what might happen in future if they see me.”

Coulson admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which happened on September 16, 2017. She had 47 previous offences on her record, including robbery and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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McManus, of Suffolk Street, west Hull, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the basis that he had originally been trying to stop the violence and did not know Coulson had or would use nail scissors, which was accepted by prosecutors. He had committed 86 previous offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery and wounding.

Dale Brook, for McManus, said he had long battled “serious addiction to drugs” but had managed to find stable accommodation for the first time in “a long time” following release from his last prison sentence.

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Charlotte Baines, for Coulson, said she her life had been “blighted” by long-term drug addiction.

Judge Graham Robinson told McManus he had been “flaunting” his relationship in front of his former partner, which was “a particularly childish thing to do”.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, was ordered to have six months of drug rehabilitation and up to 15 days’ rehabilitation.

Coulson, who had spent nine months on remand, as well as 45 days on an electronically monitored curfew, was sentenced to two years’ supervision, must have six months of drug rehabilitation and up to 30 days’ rehabilitation.

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